When it comes to western on the small screen, only a few are as iconic as Norman Macdonnell and John Meston’s “Gunsmoke”. Based on the radio drama of the same name, the show made his debut on CBS in 1955 and became one of the longest-running television series in American television history and produced over 600 episodes. Unfortunately, but, but “Gunsmoke” rode into the sunset after 20 seasonsBut like all good Kanonlingers who cannot stay below, there was a bang. “Gunsmoke” produced five television films After the end of the series and thanks to repetitions and streaming, new generations continue to discover the classic TV western.
“Gunsmoke” takes place in Dodge City, Kansas, and follows Marshal Matt Dillon (James Arness) and his MPs, while protecting the city from outlaw, outsiders, unrest and other false kind. The series is also remarkable to show some real Hollywood legends in early career roles, including Kurt Russell, Harrison Ford, Leslie Nielsen and “Star Trek” star Leonard Nimoy, whose character was less than enlightened. Nevertheless, it is a funny show to see if you want to try to recognize some famous faces that deal with shootings at high noon.
Despite most of the actions of history in Dodge City, “Gunsmoke” used in Kansas. The series visited several hotspots in the United States to create their version of the Old West, whereby everyone himself was historically historical.
Gunsmoke used the California Melody Ranch Studio to create Dodge City
The California Santa Clarita Valley has doubled for the old west for decades, and “Gunsmoke” was one of many films and television programs to create a border town in the famous Melody Ranch in the region. While the show ventured to other places from time to time, Melody Ranch was the place with which it was most common in her early years, especially for the recording of exterior shots.
After James Arness in an interview with SCTVThe lot was an integral part of “Gunsmoke” and he has good memories of working there. “In the first few years we did most of our outdoor work on the Melody Ranch. It was such a great place.” Fittingly, the actor received his price for the Western Stars in 2006, which collided with a Cowboy Festival.
Melody Ranch is a convincing recovery of the border, and over the years it remained a starting point for the maintenance of the cowboy theme. The 21 hectare plot of land was used in everything, from “Deadwood” to “Once in Hollywood”, with the latter film making it of central importance for the diegetics “Bounty Law” series that Quentin Tarantino wants to make in real life one day. This place is permeated in Hollywood Cowboy, but it is not the only iconic ranch that has brought “Gunsmoke” to life.
Some Gunsmoke scenes were shot on the Paramount Ranch
The Paramount Ranch is located in the Conjo Valley in South California and offered the backdrop for a variety of films and television programs. However, the 2700 hectares of Vista is a synonym for Westerns, since William Hertz-a Rich bought Superfan-Die Ranch in 1953 and reserved a special place for frontier adventures on the screen.
The Paramount Ranch, with the title Western Town Area, made the stage for some of the best -known TV horse opera of all time, including “Rawhide”, “Bonanza”, “The Cisco Kid” and of course “Gunsmoke”. This is because the set was designed in such a way that we were reproduced the dusty streets and old buildings that we connect with border life, and the surrounding Santa Monica Mountains offered a backdrop that does not look plagued by modern life. that it was perfect for entertainment in the period.
Unfortunately, the Paramount Ranch burned down in 2018 during Woolsey’s forest fires and effectively ended a golden period of Hollywood story. This means that it has remained popular until his last days, whereby Western of the 21st century such as “Bone Tomahawk” and HBOS “Westworld” used it to a great impact.
Utah also served as a background for Gunsmoke
California was not the only place where he acted as deputy Kansas during the production of “Gunsmoke”, especially when the stories of the show occasionally dared outside of Dodge City. Some of the outdoor scenes were shot in Johnson Canyon in Utah near the city of Kanab. This place used to be a place of contact for treasure hunters in the area, but finally became a popular staple in the area of entertainment.
Similar to the Paramount Ranch, the Johnson Canyon area offers a picturesque background that includes large hills and wild terrains that hold the rawness of the American border. It was also a remarkable film and television that at that time housed a large number of wooden buildings that were modeled on yesterday’s Cowboy hotspots.
Nowadays Johnson Canyon is a tourist destination, but the old set is not accessible to the public. Fans of “Gunsmoke” who want to try it can see it from a nearby path, and that’s better than nothing, right?
